Cody 82 ZXT Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 I can't believe this. Let me start from the beginning and if you would I'd love some advise or let me know if I'm in the wrong here. My wife and I have a 95 Grand Am (auto). It's an ok car that she bought used before we started dating. At about 60,000 the trans. went out. She had bought the car from CarMax and they replaced the trans at no cost to her. We thought great a new transmisson and no out of pocket money this is cool. The car has been a good car ever since and we drive the dog out of it every week on the highway going back and forth to work and to get the kids. When we got to 125,000 the trans went out again. We thought this sucks but, it's got to be fixed. We had just gotten married and had some cash from gifts and stuff so we got it fixed. I really wanted to just dump the car off and get another one with the cash and just cut our looses on the car as we still owe on it. She didn't get that great of a deal on it. Anyway, the car ran great for about a month then the trans stopped working again. So we ofcourse took it back and had them fix it again. No money involved just some more hassel. Now that I have 145,000 on it the trans is out again. I got the car back to the shop by putting it in second gear and limping it up there. There was a difefrent guy there now and he said sorry we have a 12,000 mile warrenty!! I said what I paid 1600.00 for a complete overhaul and now that I'm 8000 highway miles over you wont fix it? He looked at me and said he would look at it. I left the car with them. The next day he said he had talked to the owner and he said they would not fix it under warrenty but, they would be happy to take a look at it and see what could be done to help me out. They just called and said they would need 617.00 more bucks. I told them no way!! I would rather let the car sit in the parking lot and not fix it then give them that much money. the guy was so surprised I did not want to fix it. I guess he thought I would be ok with the fact that after a complete overhaul I would want to pay another 600 bucks. I told them to put it back together and I would pick it up when they were done. Am I wrong here? Is this normal for a transmisson rebuild? I can't imagine that it is? Do I have any recourse? Thanks for listening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SleeperZ Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 That sounds very suspicious to me. On the other hand, I've heard some very disturbing things about GM cars, so it could be a lemon tranny even if the shop is on the up-and-up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denny411 Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 It all depends on the market you live in. I called the local(small town) tranny shop about my wifes explorer. They wanted 1600 for a rebuild, Advance auto wanted 1175 exchange, :weird:So I called a place about 1.5 hrs away,(larger city)800 installed with 1 yr warrantee. My advice; "Shop around" or buy a JY tranny, throw it in yourself, and unload the car asap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudge Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 AAAAAAAAAAAAAAUTOMATICS SUCK ON ANY CAR Look in the classifieds, imports and domestics "reverse doesn't work, first doesn't work, trans rebuilt, trans needs rebuild", automatics suck for reliability. They slip all day long except for rare lockup at cruise. Treat your stick right and all you have to do is chande fluid and a clutch once in awhile, automatics need replacement or rebuilding. Junk IMO My woman has an early Nova with a big block and a 4 speed, and a 92 911 with a 5 speed, no slush boxes in my house! Further, I never ever pay anyone to work on my car, $200 in parts and $500 in labor? Nooooooooooo thank you. When its not thier own car often they dont care about it, and will break other things in the process, strip threads, take shortcuts, not my kind of gig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottyMIz Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 hey cody my girl has a grand am and it sucks the thing has so many stupid problems i'm sick of working on it.I hate auto trannies they suck that's why all except for one of my cars and truck have manuals.The car tat i have that has an auto is a 94 sunbird and i haven't had any probs with it except for a water pump and it has over 160k on it.The 3.1 and 2.8 multi port motors last along time if you could find a manual grand am and take out the guts and make it a manual and then no more probs the stuff should just swap in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 From NADA (assuming you've got a loaded Grand Am SE V6): January 24, 2003 1995 Pontiac GRAND AM-V6 Sedan 4 Door SE 145,000 miles Trade-in: $1,710 Low retail: $2,735 High retail: $3,510 Fix the tranny and then sell it. You can get any new car with 0% financing for 5 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sumo Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 Get a tranny from a junkyard like all american auto salvage in Ft. Worth. They should include install with the price. Then dont use the car and trade it in. Most small claims court will laugh at you wanting it to be fix for free at 8000 over the limit. It's like insurance, you're good till midnight but if you have an accident at 12:01 you're outta' luck. I'd go used tranny and trade it in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cody 82 ZXT Posted January 25, 2003 Author Share Posted January 25, 2003 Mudge, I agree with everything you said. This is the first time I've had anything done on a car in proubably 5 years. This is what I get for it. We had both decided long ago to never own another slushbox. They have thier use in some vehicles and for some people but, even my 55 year old mom drives a stick. I called and found out how to get in touch with the owner of the shop. I had to leave a message with his desk lady when I called though. She acted like she cared atleast. I'm going to talk to him about the deal and find out why this is going on. Also I think I'l call around and find out what other trans shops in my area charge for what they called a full rebuild. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 Cody..... no repairs in 5 years and 140,000 on that 95 Grand Am ?.......Do what you can with the owner..... I got my wife a 93 Oldsmobile for some rent money owed to us. Runs good but I ain't putting more than gas in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 With that many miles I would dump it. The only real question is whether to fix it first. Since you will probably increase the resale more that $600 by fixing the trans, I would pay what the shop is asking then get rid of it. Check the blue book value and see if this makes sense. As for the shop, it sucks but they did exactly what they promised: 12000 miles. I think AAMCO still gives lifetime warranties. That is the only way I would ever get an auto trans fixed. have know several people who have gone to AAMCO and they all have been treated right (flame suit on). One thing I would check into is the local lemon laws. Rumor has it if you have to have the same problem fixed on the same car 3 times, then the manufacturer has to replace the vehicle. Don't know what the limits are. One other thing. Carmax is notorious for selling used rental cars. Might run the VIN number through one of the online VIN trackers and see who owned the car before you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jwink25 Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 You know what I think about all of this. A big mistake many shops make when rebuilding trannys is not replacing the transmission cooling lines and flushing everything out. I used to rebuild and test transmissions for Aaron's Automotive. Very large reman plant. Anyway, we would get transmissions sent back to us saying we didn't build them right blaa blaa blaa. Well alot of times it was the shop installing them and not replacing the lines and flushing the cooler out. What happens then is the sluge in the lines and cooler get pumped into the newly rebuilt tranny. And in short time plug up the valvebody and other parts. I have seen this hundreds of times. That shop could have also not rebuilt it right from the get go. You might ask them if they replaced the cooler lines and flushed out the cooler before they installed the tranny. Anyway...my 2 cents. If you feel brave try taking the valvebody apart and reclean it. There are alot of small parts to it so be careful. You might even be able to buy a rebuilt vavlebody. That should not be to hard to replace. Drop the pan and there it is. Good luck in whatever you choose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPMS Posted January 27, 2003 Share Posted January 27, 2003 Yeah, I say get it fixed and trade it in. Tranny problems are like herpes. Once your car has them, it's usually got 'em for life. Last time I bought a used tranny it cost me nearly $600. (but then, that was for a Mercedes...) I think spending that much at the shop to get it in sellable condition doesn't sound too bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cody 82 ZXT Posted January 27, 2003 Author Share Posted January 27, 2003 Well, I called the owner on Friday but, he ofcourse was out doing something important and would have to get back to me. Today the guy that runs the shop called and wanted to know what I wanted to do. I flat out old him I would not pay full price for it considering the situations involved. He said I thought you talked to the owner? I told him I tried but, he would not call me back. He called the owner and called me back with a much better offer. I pay parts he pays labor. Sounds almost fair to me and I think thats what I'll have to take. I want to thank everyone for thier advise and sound ideas. I'm a pretty even tempered person but, this situation really got me worked up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudge Posted January 27, 2003 Share Posted January 27, 2003 Nothing gets people in a bad mood like busted parts that cost $$$ downtime + broke = crap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cody 82 ZXT Posted February 13, 2003 Author Share Posted February 13, 2003 I hate to have to revisit this thread but, I couldn't sleep last night thinking about this and I wanted to get it off my chest. I still don't have the car back yet............ Heres what has happened since the last update. After talking to the shop many times I finally caved in and said I would pay the full 617.00 for the trans work. I know before they said I could just pay the parts cost but, somehow that was my mistake. Not real sure how I came up with that but, Whatever. I just want the dam car back now. I did talk them into letting me pay the 200.00 of the money out over 2 months time. I had quit one job and not yet at the other so what money I have I'm keeping as best as possible for a real emergency. The shop guy called and asked if I could pay the parts cost ahead of time to get the project going. I said yes and paid him within an hour. I know this is not normal practice but, at this time I felt as if the shop was still working with me on the car. I now know different. After being promised the car everyday for a week I called the owner about the car. He acted as if he did not have all the details and was kind upset that I was so pissed. He then said he would get it fixed and have it for me by the end of Wensday. When I called to check and make sure the car was ready they said it was and I could pick it up that afternoon. Since I was working as well as my wife we asked them to put the car outside the shop and we would pick it up later after they closed. As it turned out we were able to make it there in time to see the guy running the shop. And guess what the car wasn't ready! He said they had the transmisson but, it was not ready. I'm really getting tired of this and feel like I'm being screwed here. What actions if any do I have against this shop if they decide to never have it ready. When is to long in the eyes of the law? Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeinCA Posted February 13, 2003 Share Posted February 13, 2003 Did you sign any agreements that contained time of completion? or hours of work neccessary for completion? If anything else you most likely would be able to sue for any work you missed in order to deal with the car and shop, breach of contract(if you agreed to a completion date), or losses and aggravation due to the fact that you could not use your car. Some of that may hold water, some of it may not. But i certainly think that you should at the very least report the shop to the BBB, and any associations that they have certifications from. Getting burned is no fun, but you have to act as soon as possible, while the car is still in the shop would be best imo. Anyhow, those are the things that i personally would look into doing. In the end you have to decide how far you want to take it. I would also look to see if your state has a lemon law. i think if the same major component fails 3 times over the life of the vehicle (within a year range?) you are entitled to compensation from the manufacturer. I believe there is a law liek this in california, but i am not sure about texas. Joe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudge Posted February 13, 2003 Share Posted February 13, 2003 Cody, sorry to hear about your continued troubles I have heard some nasty shop stories, that really bites... Worst one so far is a few days ago, a local guy supposedly has injector problems on his 91 car, cost to replace/labor, $2,000 ! Obviously he is doing it himself, and buying a $100-$200 set of injectors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLKMGK Posted February 14, 2003 Share Posted February 14, 2003 Lots of shops think they can get a job done quicker than they can and then run into problems. It's always best to call before leaving and make sure that it's sitting in the lot ready to roll before heading over. Sux but that's the way it is, many places just run into unexpected problems or look at a job and think it will go faster than it does. These guys sound like they're working with you, don't piss them off. They warrantied the trans for 12K and it sounds like it made it to 20K - what's wrong with that exactly? I've known guys who have rebuilt transmissions for a living. They would build transmissions for guys, send them out, get paid via credit card, and then months later get a call "it's broken". The kids would beat the crap out of the trans, break it, and then have their credit card company do a charge back! Once my mechanic friend even saw one of these punks doing a mile long burnout only to return later and claim he had no idea whay the trans was broken This shop has NO idea how the trans was treated once they gave it to you. How many times did the fluid get changed after you got it back? The filter? It sounds like they're trying to take care of you - let them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cody 82 ZXT Posted February 14, 2003 Author Share Posted February 14, 2003 Well, I finally got the car back today. Sort of atlest. And I had to pay the full price today which was not under our verbal agreement. Heres the deal now. It won't acclerate faster than a turtle. I not joking here!! My wife is the one that picked the car up and when she called back the guy told her that 4 cylinder cars would not have much pick up. It's 3.0 V-6. Not a fast car or anything like that but, certainly faster than your average 4 cylinder. You can put your foot to the floor and almost nothing happens. It will eventually go. The engine doesn't rev up and slip the trans it just won't rev. This was not a proublem before I took the car into the shop. Now it is! You can put the car in neautral and it won't rev past 4500. It just wants to miss. Almost like a rev limiter. I spoke to the owner of the shops and he said I could take it to a seperate shop and have them look at it. I guess this is what I'll have to do. I have no choice in the matter at the moment. I really feel as if they did something. I know that would be bad business for them but, why wouldn't they. They've lied and been dishonest so far. BLKMGK-I wish you were right but, if they were really trying to work with me they would have kept their word even if verbal and not written. Also I'm sorry but, how many 20,000 mile transmissons do you want to buy? I have a great shop that can hook you up. This was not a bargan basement ordeal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaparral2f Posted February 15, 2003 Share Posted February 15, 2003 Does the term "Better Business Bureau" ring a bell? I ran a tranny shop for several years, and it sounds like these people are just doing you. A GOOD builder can go completly through a transmission in a couple of hours, and make it practically bullit proof. When I was in the business the R and R guys would take less that a half hour to pull and replace a unit. So IMHO you ought to get in touch with your local BBB! Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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